Quảng Ninh’s dumping sites to close by year-end

Update:
August, 29/2016 - 17:12

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Due to the increasing demand for garbage treatment and the application of out of date technology, dumps in the northern province of Quảng Ninh have led to serious air and ground water pollution. – Photo dantri.com.vn

QUẢNG NINH — Thousands of households living near polluted dumping sites in this northern province will soon heave a sigh of relief as they will be closed by the end of this year.

Đặng Huy Hậu, Deputy Chairman of Quảng Ninh Province’s People’s Committee, said he had inspected a number of dumps in Hạ Long and Cẩm Phả cities and found that all of them were overflowing.

In addition, most of the garbage was buried at the dump, causing environment pollution and threatening the health of local residents, he said on Sunday.

Provincial authorities have asked the Indevco Environment One Member Limited Company to quickly develop infrastructure for the Solid Waste Treatment Complex at the Vũ Oai and Hòa Bình communes in Hoành Bồ District to receive garbage daily from the towns of Hạ Long, Cẩm Phả, Hoành Bồ and Quảng Yên from the beginning of next year.

Local authorities have also been ordered to complete necessary procedures to close all the dumps and prepare plans to deal with the aftermath. They have also been told to ensure that the lives of people living in the surrounding areas are not affected.

Since beginning operations 20 years ago, the Quang Hanh dump in Cẩm Phả City and the Đèo Sen and Hà Khẩu dumps in Hạ Long City have received hundred tonnes of garbage daily.

However, due to the application of out of date technology and the increasing demand for garbage treatment, these dumps are causing serious air and ground water pollution.

Residents residing near these dumps have complained several times to local authorities and even blocked trucks carrying garbage to the dumps to protest the heavy pollution in the area. — VNS